Crohn’s Nutrition Guide

Written by Stephanie Faris
| Published on March 2, 2012Medically Reviewed by George Krucik, MD

Good nutrition is important for managing Crohn's. Learn what foods to avoid and foods to keep in your diet as you deal with Crohn's disease.

For patients suffering from Crohn’s
disease, simply getting enough nutrients in a daily diet is challenging enough.
The intestinal inflammation caused by the disease can zap a person’s appetite,
taking all the fun out of eating.

But good nutrition is an important
element in reducing Crohn’s symptoms. It’s first important to understand why
bad nutrition can harm you as a Crohn’s patient before you can understand what
to do to make sure you get those nutrients.

Of primary importance to Crohn’s
patients is keeping inflammation down. Bad nutrition can increase inflammation,
and can decrease your energy levels. Your body needs as much energy as possible
to help fight off infections and strengthen your immune system.

Some Crohn’s patients erroneously
believe diet and exercise can help beat Crohn’s, but there is no scientific
data to support that theory.

The goal is to use a diet to help
battle the symptoms of Crohn’s, but this is mostly about which food to avoid,
rather than which foods to seek out. By doing this, Crohn’s patients are able
to relieve symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The following foods may be beneficial
for Crohn’s patients to avoid:

Fried
foods: Overall, these foods may not be good for your health, and they
also can cause diarrhea and gas.

Butter,
margarine, and oils: These foods may cause diarrhea and gas,
especially in patients who have had bowel removal surgery.

Dairy
products: Especially in patients with lactose intolerance.

Raw
fruits and vegetables: While fruits and vegetables are essential to a
nutritious diet, in raw form these foods can cause gas.

High
fiber foods: Also a gas producer, Crohn’s patients should avoid these
foods as much as possible to maintain ease on the digestive tract.

Alcohol: Not
only will alcohol potentially have a negative interaction with any Crohn’s
medications you’re currently taking, it may dehydrate you, making it difficult
for you to drink enough water to maintain a balance. It’s wise for Crohn’s
patients to refrain from drinking alcohol as much as they can.

Caffeine: Caffeine
stimulates the small intestines, which makes diarrhea worse. Stay away from
coffee, but also avoid sodas, which contain both caffeine and carbonation—which
may cause bloating.

If you’re working with your doctor to
find a nutritional balance that works for you, try keeping a food diary. Track
the foods you eat, noting your corresponding symptoms. This will help you and
your physician determine if certain foods are exacerbating your symptoms,
helping you avoid them in the future.

While there is no evidence to support
that certain foods can trigger Crohn’s symptoms, it’s helpful to stay away from
foods that you find make symptoms worse.

For Crohn’s patients interested in
keeping symptoms at bay without increasing medications, gaining control over
your nutritional intake may be the key to finding a way to manage Crohn’s
symptoms while being as healthy as possible.

We're sorry, an error occurred.

Thank you for your feedback. Your health and well being are important to us. We're sorry you couldn't find the information you were looking for this time, but your comments will help us identify gaps and improve our content.

Healthline’s mission is to make the people of the world healthier through the power of information. We do this by creating quality health information that is authoritative, approachable, and actionable.

Join more than 30 million monthly visitors like you and let Healthline be your guide to better health.